Precast reinforced concrete post and rail assembly

ABSTRACT

A precast reinforced concrete post and railing assembly of panels for balconies, walkways and stairways, the posts having vertical grooves to hold the panels between them after the panels have been slid into place when the posts have been erected on the flat surfaces. The panels are inserted in pairs which may abut each other or concrete spacers may be used to provide vertical spacing between panels supported by the same pair of posts.

United States Patent David Bach 2601 NE. 55th Court;

Walter Rothman, 2801 N.E. 51st St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33308; Carlos Manuel Pascual, 571 N.W. 49th Ave., Plantation, Fla 333 13 Apr. 28, 1970 Nov. 2, 1971 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 807,043, Mar. 13, 1969, now Patent No. 3,554,495..

[72] lnventors [21 Appl. No. [22] Filed [45] Patented [54] PRECAST REINFORCED CONCRETE POST AND RAIL ASSEMBLY 7 Claims, 18 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.5. C1 256/19 E04h 17/16 [50] Field of Search 256/19, 24,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,045,519 11/1912 Conzelman 256/19 1,247,107 11/1917 Grahamm. 256/19 2,057,018 10/1936 Dillon.... 256/19 2,718,382 9/1955 Bird 256/19 2,745,638 5/1956 O'Connor 256/19 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,597 9/1926 Australia 256/19 10,696 12/1933 Australia 256/19 25,115 6/1936 Australia 256/19 54,446 1/1912 Switzerland 256/19 Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor AtlorneyStevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher ABSTRACT: A precast reinforced concrete post and railing assembly of panels for balconies, walkways and stairways, the posts having vertical grooves to hold the panels between them after the panels have been slid into place when the posts have been erected on the flat surfaces. The panels are inserted in pairs which may abut each other or concrete spacers may be used to provide vertical spacing between panels supported by the same pair of posts.

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SHEET 2 OF 4 PATENTEnunv 2 m1 J J ATTORNEYS PRECAST REINFORCED CONCRETE POST AND RAIL ASSEMBLY This application is a continuation-impart of our application filed Mar. 13, 1969 under Ser. No. 807,043 now US. Pat. No. 3,554,495 issued Jan. 12, 1971.

Thisinvention relates to a precast post and railing assembly for balconies, walkways and stairways and more particularly to such an assembly which not only provides requisite safety but incorporates ornamentation which entire the architectural beauty of the building.

In modern construction of multistory buildings, particularly apartment buildings, it is often desirable to have separate balconies for individual rooms or apartments. In some designs, provision is made ,for balconies along the entire length of an exterior wall. In the latter instance balconies for each room or apartment are very often separated from each other by the same type'of railing that isused along the edge of the balcony as a safety measure. Such multistory or high-rise buildings are usually constructed with a framework and floors of reinforced concrete and the balcony floors are reinforced extensions of the floors. When such buildings are constructed in a complex, increasing use of elevated walkways connecting adjacent buildings is being made to provide increased pedestrian safety by overcrossing busy streets and improve access between buildings, particularly ofl'tce buildings. Such elevated walkways must also be provided with exterior stairways for access between the walkways and the street levels around buildings. Bridges for vehicular as well as for pedestrian traffic must have railings for safety purposes.

Such structures as balconies and exterior walkways and stairways are subject to the affects of moisture and heat, which have a deteriorating effect upon the materials used. Additionally high-rise buildings, walkways, bridges, and exterior stairways to some extent, are subjected to wind loads which in certain areas of the country are developed from storms in which the winds have velocities up to 125 miles per hour or more. Such storms are accompanied by heavy rainfall and thus structures not only must endure the stress of high winds but also the stresses imposed by the massive rainfall driven against the structures by the high winds.

Such storms are more frequent in coastal areas where, in addition to the adverse effects of the storms, the structures are also constantly subjected to high humidity, a relatively high saline content in the air and the heat deriving from the long hours of sunlight. The structures themselves become warm, at times almost hot, from the suns rays and the air temperatures are high. These factors have a corrosive or ageing effect upon exposed materials. Stone and its man-made equivalent brick and concrete, appear to be the most resistant to such corroslon or ageing and as a result, all found predominant usage as exterior surfaces. Use of brick is usually restricted to low structures because of problems of laying the same in multistory structures, stone and concrete panels being almost exclusively used in large multistory structures, not only for the comparative ease of installation but for resistance to ageing and the increased strength they provide to the frame of the structure. Additionally, raw cement supplies are often found in the general area and this inevitably leads to the use of concrete because of economy.

In the past, exterior balconies, walkways and stairways on high-rise buildings have been provided with railing assemblies of varying materials. For such construction it is desirable to have a railing assembly which is easily secured in place, economical to manufacture and install and capable of withstanding both ageing deterioration and the effects of high winds and adverse weather. l-lelpfully, the assembly should add to the strength of the building. Wood has been found to lack the required strength, suffer from deterioration, and requires considerable maintenance and is difficult to install on concrete decks for floors. Brick is somewhat costly to install and while it can be laid in ornamental patterns and of itself resists weathering, provides a weight problem as well as the problem of deterioration of mortar which makes it dangerous for balcony use. Railing assemblies of iron or steel can be ornamental but are not easily installed nor integrated with the concrete floor, deteriorate from weather thus requiring maintenance and are costly to fabricate. Known plastic are not considered suitable for such purposes. Aluminum has been used quite frequently as it is light in weight and not too difiicult to install. Normally it is in the form of posts with fencelike pawls attached or separate. Aluminum does not lend itself to nonlinear ornamental design without increased cost and for exterior usage must have the surface anodized to withstand the corrosive action of weather, this again adding to the cost. The usage of concrete for railings suggested itself because of usage of concrete in the construction of the building and the techniques employed in reinforced concrete structures. However, these very techniques which require in situ construction were impractical and very costly when applied to railings to be constructed on balconies and stairways. The known techniques of constructing fences of concrete likewise were not practical because of problems in forming, integration with preformed decks, size and weight, costs in material and the requirement for skilled labor.

To overcome the disadvantages and problems arising from the usage of reinforced concrete for railings in accordance with the known techniques of reinforced concrete construction, an assembly was developed comprising precast posts and panels assembled by use of a top rail. The posts and panels were anchored to the balcony floor. Sections of rail were then placed over the panels and secured to the top of the posts, and the sections then locked together with a cap section. Although easily moved to the site of installation, considerable time and skill was required to install the posts and panels, secure the sections of railing together and emplace the locking caps. Although fabrication of the components was relatively simple, a number of components were required and the resultant costs of fabrication and installation made such an installation noncompetitive except in resistance to ageing and strength.

The present invention provides an improved post and railing assembly of concrete having a minimum of components which can be easily installed on balconies, walkways, and stairways by relatively unskilled labor, has the requisite internal strength, can add to the strength of the structure, is as resistant or more so to ageing and adverse weather conditions as the structure on which installed, is less costly than other known assemblies and, additionally, provides an esthetic addition to the appearance of buildings which is not only unattainable with other materials but which provides a portion of the strength of the assembly. This invention also eliminates the need for any structural cap at the top of the railing as is now required with present precast railing assemblies.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings which form a part hereof and illustrate the embodiments presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an overall assembly of the invention showing panels for both horizontal and stair construction along with the accompanying posts;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the types of posts used in connection with this invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a return post anchored at a comer showing two panels assembled therein and separated by a spacer between them;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a panel used in the construction of this invention and having a central opening;

FIG. 5 is a front view of one type of solid panel used in construction of this invention;

FIG. 6 is a front view of another type solid panel used in construction of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a front view of one type of panel of the type used for stair railings;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 4; FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 5; FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a typical spacer used for horizontal panels and FIG. 12 is a typical spacer used for inclined installations such as on a stair railing;

FIG. 13 is a partial front view of the juncture of a horizontal railing and a stair railing of the invention showing an altemative arrangement of the stair railing at the juncture;

FIG. 14 is a top view of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a front view of another embodiment of the panels forming a part of this invention;

FIG. 16 is a partially sectional front view of one of the panels in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view along line 17l7 in FIG. 16; and

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view along line 18-18 in FIG. 16.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, FIG. 1 shows a series of panels being supported by and between pairs of spaced posts. The posts are of the same size regardless of how employed and positioned. Post 24 is an intermediate post having longitudinal grooves 30 on opposite sides thereof while post 22 is a return post for panels placed at 90 to each other and having longitudinal grooves 30 on contiguous sides thereof. Post 26 is a return post having a longitudinal groove 30 on only one side thereof. Post 22' is a return post for three panels placed at 90 to each other used for example when a long balcony or walkway is to be divided. The configurations of these posts can perhaps best be understood by reference to FIG. 2 which shows these posts from a top view. Groove 30 of the respective posts extends to a point short of the bottom end of each post and provides a supporting shoulder 33 (see FIG. 3) for the lower panels of the railing. Two panels 20, of identical construction, are held in place between posts 22 and 24 merely by sliding them down in the grooves 30 between two adjacent posts. Since none of the grooves runs to the bottom of the post the panel section is prevented from sliding all the way down. The two panels are vertically spaced apart by spacers 34 (see FIG. 11).

In the case of stair railings, the panel sections are cut on a slant, FIG. 7, to approximately the angle of inclination of the stairs (see FIG. 12). The spacers 36 for such usage have inclined end surfaces 37 thereon and are of appropriate length. Panel 38 is a modified form of the panel shown in FIG. 5 and has an elliptical recess therein. It should be understood that panels with an open construction, or with different recesses or openings and ornamental designs can be utilized in stairways for varied architectural effects.

Referring now to FIG. 3, it can be seen that each post has a steel reinforcing rod 42 projecting therefrom so that it can be secured in a hole 40 in the concrete base or floor 39 of a balcony. The steel reinforcing rod 42 is axially embedded within each post (FIG. 2) for most of its length and extends beyond the bottom end of the post to form a steel dowel anchor. Posts of the type identified as 22 and 22' contain additional reinforcement in the form of wire mesh panel 31 extending laterally from the rod 42 along the diagonal of the cross section toward the corner between the two contiguous sides of the post having grooves therein. Longitudinal wire mesh panel 31 extends from approximately the top of rod 42 to within about three-fourths of an inch from the bottom of the post.

FIG. 4 illustrates a panel with an opening 21 formed therein, which may be of any suitable size or shape, depending upon the length of span and height of the railing. As illustrated the width of the panel is just less than one-half the length of groove 30. The panel width is composed of upper, central and lower portions, each of substantially the same width or about one-third the overall width of the panel. The upper and lower portions of the panel each have a reinforcing rod 46 centrally embedded therein along the longitudinal axis of each portion. The panel further comprises a reinforcing rod 46' centrally embedded interiorly across each end thereof to interconnect the like ends of the longitudinal reinforcing rods in the upper and lower portions of said panel. The opening in the central portion of the panel has a length no greater than that such as to provide a solid section at each end of said central portion having a length at least equal to the width of said central portion and a thickness equal to the thickness of said panel. The thickness of the panel is the minimum value to provide adequate thickness of concrete on each side of the reinforcing rods and is normally 2 inches.

FIG. 5 illustrates a type of panel 60 having the same overall dimensions as the panel in FIG. 5 with a recessed area 61 fonned therein which may be of any suitable shape. The recess in the central portion of this panel is of a length sufficiently less then the length of said panel so as to provide a solid section at each end of the central portion having a length at least equal to the width of the central portion and a thickness equal to the thickness of the panel. The panel further comprises a galvanized mesh wire centrally positioned interiorly across the width of said panel and interconnecting said longitudinal reinforcing rods.

FIG. 6 illustrates a type of panel 50 having the same overall dimensions as the panel in FIG. 5 with a full-length longitudinal recess 51 formed therein. This type of panel differs from the panels shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in the absence of vertical reinforcing rods 46. However, as in panel 60, panel 50 includes a sheet of galvanized mesh wire centrally positioned interiorly across the width of said panel and interconnecting said longitudinal reinforcing rods. This type of panel is utilized when less than a full length is required and the panel can be cut at either end without destroying its symmetry.

All of the panels are preferably provided with slightly beveled or rounded edges as a safety measure, to improve appearance, and as will be described to improve bonding to the posts.

FIG. 7 illustrates a panel 38 used for stairway railings. This type of panel may have the configuration of any of the panels in FIGS. 4-6. The panel is normally cast with square ends as shown in dotted lines thereon. The panel is cut into the shape of a parallelogram from the rectangular shape at the job site so that the longitudinal axis of the panel will be parallel to the inclination of the surface upon which the assembly is being installed. The width of the panel in such installation is normally less than in horizontal installation, being substantially equal to one-third the length of said groove. However, the length of the edge 38 is less than one-half the length of the groove 30 so that the upper comer of the upper portion of the uppermost panel 38 will not project above the top of the post in which it is inserted. The lower corner of the upper portion may project above its associated post top as does the uppermost panel in an installation of an adjoining horizontal surface, or the lower corner may be positioned as is the upper corner. Since the inclination of stairways is generally standardized, the panels may be cast as parallelograms of fixed size. However, preparation of special forms and placing the reinforcements may entail increased costs which do not offset the cutting to fit on the site.

FIGS. 13 and 14 are a presentation of the detail of an alternative arrangement of the assembly of this invention when used as a railing for an inclined walkway or a stairway alone or when the inclined walkway or stairway adjoins a horizontal walkway or balcony. As a measure of safety to prevent a person striking the exposed projecting comer of the stairway railing at one end or the other or placing an object on the top of the post which could be dislodged therefrom, this invention includes a wedge 62 extending from the end of the projection of the upper panel of the stairway railing above the post top to the opposite surface of the post as shown in the figure. The wedge 62 is set into position with grout 64. Although the upper surface of the wedge is shown as a convex surface 63 it could be of any other form which would in effect return the end of the railing to the post as is done with wooden or metal rails as a safety measure.

In FIG. 15, the panels 70 differ from those shown in FIGS. 4-6 in size, construction and design although incorporating the same concept of invention. The panels 70 are identical but the lower panel is reversed upon installation for reasons which will be explained. The upper rail 71 of each panel is approximately twice the width of the lower rail 72. Thus, when the panels are slidably inserted between any two adjacent posts anchored to the flat surface, the lower rail 71 of the bottom panel is uppermost and in contact with the lower rail 71 of the top panel thus providing vertical support for the top panel. The combined width of the two lower rails is substantially equal to the width of the upper rail in each panel thus providing not only uniform appearance in the rail widths of the two installed panels but also providing a combined resistance to stresses which is equal to that of each of the upper rails.

The plurality of decorative reinforcing elements 75 shown in FIGS. and 16 are illustrative only of the esthetic configurations which may be employed with the panels of this overall configuration. The full decorative design of elements 75 is formed on the outer side of the panel only.

FIG. 16 shows the arrangement of the reinforcing bars 46 and 46 in panel 70. As can be seen the upper rail 71 of the panel has two horizontally disposed reinforcing bars 46 embedded therein. The lower rail 72 has one such bar 46 embedded therein. Thus as stated in the foregoing paragraph, when the two panels 70 are inserted between the adjacent posts, three spaced sets of two reinforcing bars each provide strength for the top, bottom, and central sections of the railing assembly.

FIG. 18 shown the unique arrangement of reinforcing bars 46 and 46' and construction of the decorative elements 75 which provide unusual strength in the panel 70. A vertical reinforcing bar 46' is centrally embedded in each end portion 74 with respect to the width and thickness thereof. In the upper rail 7] the uppermost bar 46 is secured to the outer side of vertical bars 46' and the lower bar 46 is secured to the inner side of bars 46'. in the lower rail 72 the bar 46 is also secured to the inner side of bar 46'.

FIG. 18 illustrates the relationship of the decorative element 75 which provides additional strength in the panel 70 to that afforded by the reinforcing bars 46 and 46. The decorative element 75 is integrally formed with panel 70 and has a face 76 which projects outwardly from the outer face of panel 70 and extends above center portion 73 upwardly along the outer face 71a of upper rail 71. Face 76 also extends below center portion 73 downwardly along outer face 720 of lower rail 72. Body 77 of element 75 is integrally formed with the upper and lower rails of panel 70 and also face 76. Body 77 therefore provides resistance to vertical loading on panels 70 since it is of the same thickness as the panel.

As a result of the emplacement of reinforcing bars 46 and 46 as described above and the structure of decorative elements 75, applicants have discovered that panel 70 has unusual strength not foreseen when the panel is installed and subjected to lateral loadings. When the lateral loading is against the outer side of panels 70 as in the case of gale force winds and rain which results in loading along the entire length of the panels, the resistance to compression by the concrete in the upper and lower rails is enhanced by the face 76 and body 77 of element 74 and adds to the resistance against deformation inwardly provided by bars 46. When the loading is against the inner side of the panels as would result from an object such as a human body striking the railing, the actual load would probably be primarily against the upper part of the top panel and most likely against the upper rail. Under the loading, lower bar 46 in upper rail 71 would resist lateral deflection inwardly while uppermost bar 46 in upper rail 71 would resist lateral deflection outwardly. At the same time body 77 and face 76 of element 75 would provide compressive resistance to any movement resulting from the loading. The novel construction of panel 70 permits the use of a wide variety of designs for decorative element 75 without impairing the strength of the panel while providing an esthetic enhancement of the overall structure and safety against the accidental passage of objects 6-7 inches in minimum dimension through the panel.

By way of definitive illustration only of the embodiments shown in the FlGS. and not as a limitation, a panel of FIGS.

4-6 of this invention would be about 3 feet 8 inches long, about 16 inches wide and about 2 inches thick. The post and panel would be cast from a high-strength concrete, preferably having a 28-day strength of at least 4,000 p.s.i. The reinforcing rods should be preferably of mild steel rather than structural and having a tensile strength of at least 40,000 p.s.i. The reinforcing mesh should preferably be of galvanized wire having 12-inch openings. The panel shown in FIG. 7 would have a cut length of 4% feet as a maximum and a cast width of about 1 foot. Otherwise the dimensions and standards would be identical to the panels of FIGS. 4-6. The post should be about 6 inches square and about 39 inches from top to bottom with the reinforcing rod extending about 4 inches below the bottom. The groove in the post is about 2% inches wide to permit sliding the panels into the grooves and 1% inches deep to provide adequate purchase by the vertical edge of the panel with the wall of the groove. The reinforcing rod and the concrete are of the same standards as for the panels. The wire mesh in the post is of heavier gauge than in the panel and at least 2X2.

Illustrative of the panels shown in and described as to FIGS. 15-18, the length is about 3 feet 8 inches as in the other panels but the width is about 18% inches. The upper rail is about 5% inches and the lower rail about one-half that distance. The center portion has a maximum clear vertical opening of about 10% inches. With a clear vertical opening of I086 inches the design utilized would provide a maximum clear horizontal width of 6 inches. In instances where the design is primarily of horizontal configuration the maximum clear vertical distance would be less than 5 inches.

The novel construction of the posts and panels provides forming at a central location by a single skilled work force and installation on site by labor of little or no skill in reinforced concrete construction. As illustrative of the simplicity of installation, the only basic requirement to be met before the invention is installed is the provision of the wells in the floor for the posts. Theses wells may be formed at the time the floor is poured or may be drilled thereafter. The well should be onehalf to 1 inch deeper than the length of the steel dowel anchor and lit-1V2 inches in diameter. The well is filled with a quicksetting high-test anchoring type cement, such as Por-rok" for example, and then a one-half-inch deep bed of grout of the same cement as used in the casting of the assembly is laid down around the well. A post is then inserted, plumbed and tapped to firmly seat it in the grout and anchoring cement. When the anchoring cement has set, approximately 2 hours elapsed time, the panels are slidably inserted between adjacent posts and grouted into the grooves. Since none of the elements of the assembly has a weight in excess of pounds, two men can easily install the assembly.

The present invention not only provides a post and railing assembly of greater inherent strength and safety than that of the prior art but an assembly having about one-third the weight per linear foot of installation. The present assembly requires less preinstallation work on the floor and can be readily and accurately installed by labor of little or no skill and few in number. The projection of the panel above the post tops provides a deterrent to place objects on the post tops or the use of a special cap for the same purpose. Additionally the narrowness of the panel in itself is a deterrent to placement of objects thereon as is the case when a conventional railing was employed.

While the present invention has been described with the use of concrete as the body of the assembly, developments in the plastics and light metals industries may subsequently produce those types of materials which can be substituted for concrete and yet provide the same resistance to stresses and ageing from adverse weather as well as the esthetic enchancement to structures within the scope of this invention as set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A precast reinforced concrete post and railing assembly for installation on concrete balconies, walkways, and stairways comprising at least one return post and at least one intermediate post, each of said posts being of uniform rectilinear cross section and having embedded therein coaxial with the longitudinal axis thereof a steel reinforcing rod which extends below the bottom of each post to form a dowel to anchor said post to the flat surface of said balcony, walkway, or stairway, said return post having at least one longitudinal groove to slidingly receive the said railing assembly centrally located along one face of said post, said groove extending through the top surface of said post and along said face to a predetermined distance from the bottom of said post to form a shoulder to support the bottom edge of the said railing assembly when slidingly inserted therein, said groove being of a width slightly in excess of the thickness of said assembly and of a depth sufficient to prevent the assembly from being moved laterally out of said groove, each of said intermediate posts having one of said longitudinal grooves on each of two opposed faces, said posts being anchored on said flat surfaces with the grooves in each adjacent post facing each other; said railing assembly comprising a panel means slidingly interposed in said grooves, each of said panel means having a rectilinear shape comprising an upper, a central and a lower portion, the upper and lower portions each having a reinforcing rod centrally embedded therein along the longitudinal axis of each portion, the central portion selectively being patterned on at least one surface or having an opening therein, said panel means being of a length greater than the distance between the opposing faces of two posts but less than the distance between the bottom of the groove in each opposing post and being of a width greater than the length of said longitudinal grooves so that when said panel means are slidingly positioned between any two adjacent posts said upper portion of the panel means projects above the top of said posts, said panels having a thickness in at least said upper and lower portions which is slightly less then the width of said groove but provides the minimum required thickness of concrete on each side of said reinforcing rods therein.

2. The post and railing assembly of claim 1 including reinforcing means within the patterned central portion of the panel.

3. The post and railing assembly according to claim 1 wherein said return post has one of said longitudinal grooves on each of at least two contiguous faces, said return post being anchored to said flat surface to receive pairs of panels extending at right angles to each other, said post further having embedded therein a reinforcing mesh panel extending from said reinforcing rod outwardly along the diagonal between said two contiguous faces thereof having one of said grooves in each face.

4. The post and railing assembly according to claim 1 wherein said panel means comprises two panels and each of said panels is of a width greater than one-half the length of said groove, the upper portion of each said panel having a width approximately twice the width of the lower portion of said panel, the center portion of said panel comprising an opening having a length of about 75-80 percent of the length of the panel and a height of 55-60 percent of the width of the panel, and a solid portion approximately the width of said upper portion at each end of said opening, said central portion further having a plurality of decorative structural elements integrally formed within said opening with the outer faces thereof extending outwardly from the outer face of said panel along at least a portion of said decorative element, said upper portion having two spaced horizontally positioned reinforcing bars embedded therein, said panel further having a vertically positioned reinforcing bar centrally embedded in each end of said panel and secured to the horizontally positioned reinforcing bars in said upper and lower portions.

5. The post and railing assembly according to claim 4 wherein said lowermost panel is slidably inserted into said grooves of adjacent posts with said upper portion resting upon said shoulders of said grooves, said uppermost panel is inserted into said grooves with the lower portion thereof in contact with and supported by the said lower portion of said lowermost panel thereby forming three spaced horizontally disposed beams of substantially identical widthand strength.

. The post and railing assembly according to claim 4 wherein the uppermost horizontal reinforcing bar of the upper portion is secured to the outer side of said centrally embedded two spaced vertical reinforcing bars, the lower horizontally reinforcing bar of the upper portion is secured to the opposite or inner side of said vertical bars and the horizontally reinforc ing bar in said lower portion is secured to the inner side of said vertical bars, the axis of said horizontal reinforcing bars thereby being off center with reference to the thickness of said panel.

7. The post and railing assembly according to claim 4 wherein said decorative structural elements each have a body portion the same thickness as the panel and extending the entire height of said opening, the projecting outer faces of said elements being formed integrally with said bodies and extending upwardly along at least a portion of the outer face of said upper portion of said panel and downwardly along at least a portion of the outer face of said lower portion of said panel thereby forming an integral connection between the outer faces of the upper and lower portions of said panel. 

1. A precast reinforced concrete post and railing assembly for installation on concrete balconies, walkways, and stairways comprising at least one return post and at least one intermediate post, each of said posts being of uniform rectilinear cross section and having embedded therein coaxial with the longitudinal axis thereof a steel reinforcing rod which extends below the bottom of each post to form a dowel to anchor said post to the flat surface of said balcony, walkway, or stairway, said return post having at least one longitudinal groove to slidingly receive the said railing assembly centrally located along one face of said post, said groove extending through the top surface of said post and along said face to a predetermined distance from the bottom of said post to form a shoulder to support the bottom edge of the said railing assembly when slidingly inserted therein, said groove being of a width slightly in excess of the thickness of said assembly and of a depth sufficient to prevent the assembly from being moved laterally out of said groove, each of said intermediate posts having one of said longitudinal grooves on each of two opposed faces, said posts being anchored on said flat surfaces with the grooves in each adjacent post facing each other; said railing assembly comprising a panel means slidingly interposed in said grooves, each of said panel means having a rectilinear shape comprising an upper, a central and a lower portion, the upper and lower portions each having a reinforcing rod centrally embedded therein along the longitudinal axis of each portion, the central portion selectively being patterned on at least one surface or having an opening therein, said panel means being of a length greater than the distance between the opposing faces of two posts but less than the distance between the bottom of the groove in each opposing post and being of a width greater than the length of said longitudinal grooves so that when said panel means are slidingly positioned between any two adjacent posts said upper portion of the panel means projects above the top of said posts, said panels having a thickness in at least said upper and lower portions which is slightly less then the width of said groove but provides the minimum required thickness of concrete on each side of said reinforcing rods therein.
 2. The post and railing assembly of claim 1 including reinforcing means within the patterned central portion of the panel.
 3. The post and railing assembly according to claim 1 wherein said return post has one of said longitudinal grooves on each of at least two contiguous faces, said return post being anchored to said flat surface to receive pairs of panels extending at right angles to each other, said post further having embedded therein a reinforcing mesh panel extending from said reinforcing rod outwardly along the diagonal between said two contiguous faces thereof having one of said grooves in each face.
 4. The post and railing assembly according to claim 1 wherein said panel means comprises two panels and each of said panels is of a width greater than one-half the length of said groove, the upper portion of each said panel having a width approximately twice the width of the lower portion of said panel, the center portion of said panel comprising an opening having a length of about 75-80 percent of the length of the panel and a height of 55-60 percent of the width of the panel, and a solid portion approximately the width of said upper portion at each end of said opening, said central portion further having a plurality of decorative structural elements integrally formed within said opening with the outer faces thereof extending outwardly from the outer face of said panel along at least a portion of said decorative element, said upper portion having two spaced horizontally positioned reinforcing bars embedded therein, said panel further having a vertically positioned reinforcing bar centrally embedded in each end of said panel and secured to the horizontally positioned reinforcing bars in said upper and lower portions.
 5. The post and railing assembly according to claim 4 wherein said lowermost panel is slidably inserted into said grooves of adjacent posts with said upper portion resting upon said shoulders of said grooves, said uppermost panel is inserted into said grooves with the lower portion thereof in contact with and supported by the said lower portion of said lowermost panel thereby forming three spaced horizontally disposed beams of substantially identical width and strength.
 6. The post and railing assembly according to claim 4 wherein the uppermost horizontal reinforcing bar of the upper portion is secured to the outer side of said centrally embedded two spaced vertical reinforcing bars, the lower horizontally reinforcing bar of the upper portion is secured to the opposite or inner side of said vertical bars and the Horizontally reinforcing bar in said lower portion is secured to the inner side of said vertical bars, the axis of said horizontal reinforcing bars thereby being off center with reference to the thickness of said panel.
 7. The post and railing assembly according to claim 4 wherein said decorative structural elements each have a body portion the same thickness as the panel and extending the entire height of said opening, the projecting outer faces of said elements being formed integrally with said bodies and extending upwardly along at least a portion of the outer face of said upper portion of said panel and downwardly along at least a portion of the outer face of said lower portion of said panel thereby forming an integral connection between the outer faces of the upper and lower portions of said panel. 